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Post by Venus on Sept 30, 2009 17:25:51 GMT -5
~Don't even know how he got hold of it. I wrote it years ago. The bastard!~
Aisling was in mid-leap for the dragoness and Aleiko when Thanthero appeared through the trees, aura crackling with menace. His immediate reaction was to combat the spell, trying to use his own connection with its formation to reverse it, drag it back. He bared his fangs, pupils contracting to slits.
Tia choked a gasp when she saw the falling raven feather. Venus looked grim, but sadness lingered in the lines of her face, coupled with determination and fire.
"Neraika."
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Post by Fury on Sept 30, 2009 17:35:21 GMT -5
~He's a tricky little bastard.~ Tatsu agreed with Thanthero.
However even as he sped up to burst through with Thanthero beside the black dragon he knew they had failed. Neraika flashed a sincere smiled for her win and then was gone in a black sort of energy. As for where she had gone there was only one possibility: Rafael now had Aleiko.
He dug his talons into the ground in rage and to stop himself from running forward too much and let out an anguished cry of despair. He continued to slam a taloned hand- balled into a fist- against the ground repeatedly as he growled and snarled in all manner of the word. Then when his rage and energy was spent he curled up into a ball, tail concealing his face, and just laid there.
"How could this happen...?" He choked.
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Post by Venus on Sept 30, 2009 17:56:50 GMT -5
Aisling crumpled. The green dragoness simply stared up at the sky, eyes and face utterly blank. To see her so still was wholly unnerving - usually an animated ball of energy, she no longer seemed like the same playful apprentice, the same dragoness. Her whisper was cracked, terror hiding between the syllables.
"They took him."
Tiamat was shaking her head, eyes firmly closed. Over and over again as she stared down at the single raven feather sitting so innocently on the forest floor. Her limbs trembled minutely; the taste of her magic was strong on the air, and building. It mingled with her anger and sorrow, twisting the atmosphere around her into the consistancy of treacle, thick and immovable.
Venus looked away, her tail lashing, helpless. Her chest was tight and burning - the weight of responsibility, guilt and fear dragging her down until her thoughts no longer felt like her own. Rafael, again. And again. And again. Isandre was right; this was a vicious circle. Lives were going to be lost, stolen away as easily as Aleiko.
It was almost too much. Only her fighting spirit kept her standing and silent, the regal line of her neck stiff but maintained as if through constant training. Inwardly, she was snarling.
'His death is mine for this. Each death, each torment, he will pay tenfold. This I swear.'
What magic she possessed rose at the declaration, beginning the work of tying her words to her fate in a blood oath. But the ritual was halted before it even began, interrupted as Thanthero's frustrated rage uncoiled from his skin, sizzling, a tangible presence overwhelming even Tiamat's magic.
Isandre practically forced her way into her awareness.
~Get down.~
Venus threw her trust in her hellkite, dropping into a brace position as black magic crackled like lightening, blinding in its intensity. She chanced a glance over at the source and saw only inhuman yellow eyes, claws flashing like knives in the daylight.
Thanthero poured out his anger, and Venus watched as he crouched in the centre of the clearing, both arms dropping down to his left before swinging up, around-
The force of the blow cutting through air made the ancient trees groan even from that distance. A few seconds passed; another wailing creak brought the realisation only seconds before the action. The circle of trees bordering the clearing began to slide, falling outwards, each severed neatly mid-way across the trunk. They toppled away, branches cracking and splintering in their death throes.
Venus watched them pass, trees millennia older than herself, with one eye on the black dragon still settled in the follow-through of his attack, shoulders rising and falling. She made out a quiet hiss.
"Shit."
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Post by Fury on Sept 30, 2009 19:40:55 GMT -5
Leaping into action, Tatsu had managed to uncoil in his normal viper like strike manner. He laid flat until the energy passed then raised up. His blue aura surrounded him and he jumped on Thanthero. He attempted to wrap around the black Dragon in hopes- of course- to snap him out of the assassin-mode. After all it wouldn't be good for any of them including the forest itself if he remained that steely and well trained killer.
"Thanthero!" Tatsu cried.
He wrapped his aura tighter. If he could not ensnare Thanthero than at least his aura would do so properly. He made a bubble as he had in his fight before with the ex-assassin... For a split second he pondered if Thanthero really could be called an 'ex-assassin'. After all that snarky nature, biting sarcasm, and high skill level were ever present even when he was not in a battle.
In truth the aspects of his old self had really seeped into the black dragon. It was always lurking behind small gestures: the way he carried himself, the way he was alert at all times, the way he spoke and acted... all clues of things buried in the past. Still what kept things from being excavated? Could the past not return?
Even when he struggled against Thanthero Tatsu could ponder these things... these small fragments of life. He needed something to keep from thinking about Neraika, to keep from becoming stressed and worried. The past seemed to bite them all in the backside when it did arise and he did not need to concern himself with Rafael and the history with Venus at this second. He had one focus: stopping Than's rage. It was a task not so easily managed to say the least.
"Oi! Knock it off! It's me!"
No luck... so he tried speaking louder.
"Thanthero!"
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Post by Venus on Sept 30, 2009 19:52:28 GMT -5
The first attempt at subduing the assassin only resulted in a bitten-off snarl; Venus could see Thanthero's claws digging gouges into the forest floor, deeper and deeper until water began to seep free of the soil. But there was no sign of retaliation - and from what Venus knew of the assassin, what she sensed of his aura, any defensive action would have been instant.
Tiamat stirred from her silence, moving slowly over to where Tatsu held the black dragon pinned to the ground. Her steps were weary, each one carrying every single year she held within her. The centuries seemed long, then, for the shaman. One glance down at Thanthero, and she spoke in subdued tones.
"Tatsu - there's no need. That was all him."
She was proved right as Than tilted his head back to face his captor - and although the inhumanity, the assassin, was painted in his eyes and the angles of his face, Thanthero was there. Rage rolled off from him in waves: the same rage that allowed him to conquer the strictures of his contract, play the game to the death and win.
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Post by Fury on Sept 30, 2009 20:02:09 GMT -5
Tatsu slithered off, releasing Thanthero from his grip. The blue light of his aura receeed back into his scales and fur and he nodded to Tiamat. His expression grew blank and his mouth turned into a tight, straight line. He backed away and then was still. Even his tail, which was never subdued, remained still and did not sweep the ground.
He let the silence hang thickly in the air for a moment. Sorrow was almost so heavily present that it weighed down those present... or rather it did until Tatsu got sick of it. Then the great Eastern raised his canine like head and let out a roar which shook the trees. It was one to release his anguish. He needed it. They all did.
After a considerable amount of time to simply close his eyes and think, Tatsu reopened them and looked to Tiamat, Venus, and Thanthero in turn.
His voice came hoarse and quiet. "...Now what?" The two words nearly stung. It hurt to not know what to do. It dug deep into the heartstrings and twisted them until mangled. What were they going to do to rescue Aleiko? ...Could he even be saved now?
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Post by Venus on Sept 30, 2009 20:15:23 GMT -5
Thanthero stood slowly - not lacking his usual feline grace, but something more cautious - searching for a tenuous grip on control that he was barely hanging on to with the tips of his claws.
Tiamat said nothing immediately. The dragoness focused on Aisling, sitting on the edge of the clearing and looking as if the world itself had fallen around her ears. She knew that feeling well enough; to see it again was like a knife through the heart. Her words came eventually; measured and careful, speaking of anger trapped within the constraints of her will.
"I have always had dealings with the Shantari. Ever since I came to live here after I swore my binding oath against participation in direct battle. It was an alliance of words and blood, not paper and ink. As such, it never expired and I held it until the bitter end." Mauve eyes, cold and calm and nothing like Tiamat's usual joviality, slid left - to Venus.
"I ask formally that the alliance be reforged now. I - we - have as much right to revenge as your clan, Venus Silrira."
The surprise that slid across her face was short-lived; her expression quickly became shuttered, gold eyes reflecting like coins. Thanthero was watching Tiamat steadily, yellow gaze still overly bright.
"Breaking your oath, hm?"
The shaman nodded once, curtly.
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Post by Fury on Sept 30, 2009 20:50:20 GMT -5
Tatsu knew this was serious. Tiamat was not one to break an oath or loyalty without very good reason. Still if she intended to fight he would be by her side as always. Or rather almost always due to the fact that there was a time when he could not be... however much he longed to be.
"Now one thing remains... Where did she take him? To Rafael obviously but where?"
Now he was riled up. His tail lashed along the ground and his fur stood on end. His scales to had taken on a sort of soft inner glow as if they were ablaze individually. His entire body language proved he was on edge and wanted nothing more than to be on the move, right down to every tiny twitch of anticipation.
(short post but I wanted to squeeze it in anyway)
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Post by Venus on Sept 30, 2009 21:03:42 GMT -5
Venus looked as if she were about to answer, expression troubled, but Thanthero got there first. His eyes followed the traces of something invisible.
"Oi, Tia. You'd better get moving with that new oath before the old one starts twisting with the half-made." His smouldering gaze slid to Aisling, over Venus and finally settling on Tatsu with the weight of an absent responsibility.
"If my information isn't a load of bullshit, he holds a labyrinth below this island. Chances are he'll be there."
Tiamat decided it would be best to follow Thanthero's suggestion, already raising a talon to slice open the old scar on her arm. Venus, still looking slightly shell-shocked, did the same - her forearm held no traces of previous blood oaths, unlike Tiamat's. The blue dragoness chose to speak mentally, both for privacy and truthfulness.
~You swear alliance with a dead clan, Tia.~
~You aren't dead. Neither is Leander. You two are enough Shantari for me. The magic seems to think so, too.~
She was right. Venus could feel the power embued in the island rumbling pleasantly beneath her feet, tingling along scale and skin in its attempt to coax her own magic out of hiding. But she was stubborn, and ignored it.
~I just wanted to make sure.~
Tia looked at her for a measured moment - judging - before dropping her chin in a half-bow.
~I swear allegiance to the service of the family Silrir. My power lies at your disposal to do with as you will.~
~As representative of my family, I accept your oath as ally and pass our power to you as payment for your loyalty. May the years not dull our alliance, nor death leave our obligations unfulfilled.~
Clan tattoos bloomed across Venus in curls of burning blue and gold. The magic activated in a quiet sweep, lifting the leaves to dance inches above the ground, caught in a breeze. Their blood mingled until the two cuts healed over - silver and gleaming against their pastel hides.
~Our contract is complete.~
Tiamat stepped back - and for the first time since Aleiko's kidnapping, she looked resolved. Venus was too busy wiping away the clan markings, taking a moment until her scales were their usual shade of sapphire. She appeared more at peace than before, glancing between Thanthero and Tatsu.
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Post by Fury on Oct 1, 2009 15:54:33 GMT -5
Tatsu had watched over the whole silent exchange with a look of curiosity behind his otherwise distraught expression. After all, he was primarily a scholar before a warrior and this indeed peaked his interest despite any worry caused by Aleiko's abduction. While he couldn't see or hear the very details of the revised blood oath he could still enjoy learning about Shantari ceremonies. He'd missed a lot when he was deceased.
Still the peace Tiamat and Venus had reached sort of filled him with his own relaxation. If they could calm down, he decided, so could he. Tatsu heaved a sigh. "...Thanthero can you track that spell to check if your information is indeed correct?"
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Post by Venus on Oct 1, 2009 16:01:51 GMT -5
Eyes half watching the play of magic left over from the ceremony, Thanthero nodded curtly, smirk curling.
"The day I can't track my own spell is the day I'm not worthy it use it any more." The hiss of black static crackled through the clearing, his aura invisible as it swept outwards in a searching pulse.
At the side of the clearing, Aisling shuddered when it rolled over her, the first movement she'd made since the drama of Aleiko's kidnapping. Tiamat settled sombre eyes on her last remaining apprentice, silently padding over and laying a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Aisling simply dropped her head.
"Do you think we'll get him back, Tia?"
The question was burning in the clearing, something none of them had wanted to bother asking if only for the futility of feeling it would bring. Tia slid her eyes shut for a moment before answering.
"I hope so."
Than glanced up sharply, eyes scanning something far beyond the tree line.
"Underground."
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Post by Fury on Oct 1, 2009 16:39:00 GMT -5
Tatsu met Thanthero's gaze. "Can you find a point of entry from here? Undetectable preferably."
Privately he added. ~Aisling and Tiamat are distressed over this. I want to get underground and out as fast as possible and hopefully see what this Rafael is planning. I want it to be as painless as possible and I assume you still have the skills to do it, Thanthero. Please don't let me down.~
He cast a reassuring look at Aisling. "We'll find him. No worries... Try to keep calm in the mean-time."
...The only thing I fear is Lei didn't seem to struggle too much. We would have heard sooner if he did. he thought.
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Post by Venus on Oct 1, 2009 16:50:16 GMT -5
Thanthero's smirk was slow to grow, but twice as deadly for the time it took.
"You're asking me if I can find a point of entry, hm? Tatsu, since when have I ever not been able to do something when I put my mind to it?"
~My skills are as sharp as they were centuries ago. Painless it will be.~
Aisling nodded once, green eyes dulled like river pebbles.
Venus padded over in her mentor's steps, the last wavering curls of gold and blue tracing lazily across her skin when they caught the light.
"I know the layout of the island like the back of my hand. If you need a guide, I'm at your disposal. It might be wise to spread the word on the mainland, too, just in case Rafael chooses to hide Aleiko somewhere away from his bolt hole."
Tiamat turned to her former apprentice, mauve eyes flickering with fast thought.
"Rafael will probably know all of the secret entrances - even the ones you used as a hatchling. He's had time enough to find them all... perhaps it would be wiser to investigate further?"
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Post by Fury on Oct 9, 2009 12:25:53 GMT -5
"I suppose the answer to that would be a clear-cut 'never', Thanthero." Tatsu replied with a sort of half nod. The gesture didn't take much energy but it looked like the blue eastern was directing his efforts into other things and couldn't be arsed to do so.
~Good. We'll need ever bit of your skills. Mine and potentially Tia's as well. We need to save Aleiko before it's too late. Who knows what will happen now?~
Tatsu was about to reply to Venus when Tiamat's voice cut sharply across his thoughts. He winced. She was right. Rafael, if he was at all good at planning, wouldn't be so openly undefended. The question he presented was a difficult one.
"Yes... but do we have time to do so Tiamat? Can we afford it with your apprentice captured?"
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Post by Venus on Oct 9, 2009 12:51:41 GMT -5
~Bah. Don't worry. It'll be enough.~
Tia did well to hide her flinch at the reminder, disguising it by looking away and into the trees, eyes shuttered.
"I don't need to be reminded of what could be happening to Aleiko, Tatsu. But I'd rather not throw any more of the dragons I care about into danger for the sake of speed. Better to strike a balance between haste and forethought."
Venus absorbed the debate, head tilted and eyes sharp.
"Leander should be returning to these lands shortly - another fighter against Rafael isn't a bad thing, for sure. I can leave to bring him here, and you could use that time to plan. At least we'd be prepared."
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